Summary:

Overview
The Grenadines consist of around 30 tiny islands and cays stretching from St. Vincent in the north to Grenada in the south.
During our visit to the Grenadines we visited St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, Union Island, Canuan, Tobago Cays and Petit St. Vincent. The islands are close together, so we could have great new anchorage every day.
(where are the Grenadines??)

Wednesday April 07, 2004
From Toronto there is no direct flight to St. Vincent, so we had to connect in Barbados. Having about 8 hours to kill there we decided to see the island a bit. After a 30min. bus ride we were in Bridgetown. We manage to find a coffee shop open so early in the morning (7:00am) and we started looking for a way to see the sights. Strange enough we found this guy, originally from St. Vincent, but also living in Toronto, for part of the year. We arrange for him to take us around the island and then to drop us off at the airport. We drove the East Coast Road to see Bathsheba beach. After a couple of hours relaxing at the Malibu Beach we were ready for St. Vincent.
The island of St. Vincent is roughly 30 km long and 18 km wide. We didn't spend too much time here as we were anxious to go sailing. We did stay for 3 nights, at Paradise Inn, but we didn't get to see anything else besides the southeast coast.

Thursday April 08, 2004
Bequia - our second day in the Grenadines we got on the ferry and left for Bequia. About 10 miles south of St. Vincent this is the largest island within the Grenadines - around 7 square miles.
We got a room at Keegan's Guesthouse where we met this lady from Scotland who was more than happy to tell us more about the island (she had been there for 2 months...).
The Easter Regatta was to take place that weekend and there were a lot of boats getting ready for it. Marius tried to find somebody that would take us sailing but they were all busy with the race.
There are a few nice places for lunch in Bequia all align on the beach, and we opted for a roti at the Green Boley. And after a tiring day at the beach, we thought we ought to try some Caribbean pizza... which didn't appeal much at first, but everybody said it fantastic. I guess nobody would ever expect to have a great pizza in the Caribbean, but Macs Pizzeria it was delicious!

Friday April 09, 2004
There is a beach right in front of Keegan's and although it doesn't compare with the Princess Margaret Beach it is a perfect spot for a morning jog or swim. From there one could walk the narrow pathway leading straight to Princess Margaret and further on to Frangipani, the regatta's headquarters. We tried some more of the local food for lunch at the Gingerbread where they had the BBQ going. And dinner at the Coco's Place where the food was great but a bit expensive for the Caribbean.
We finally found somebody that was willing to take us sailing the next day. Smith, at the Keegan's knew some guy that knew somebody that knew Nicky who had a 30' sailboat and agreed to take us around Bequia, to the disappointment of some boaters who were hoping to have him in their racing team on Saturday.

Saturday April 10, 2004
After a rush breakfast, Nicky and Christina picked us up in the dinghy in front of Keegan's and took us on the Nicola III. It was my first time on a sailing boat! The feeling was great! for about an hour or so... after that my body didn't like it anymore and I was feeling crappy... which was easily enough fixed with the big shot of rum and a few episodes of "feeding the fish".
We sail a complete circle around Bequia stopping for lunch at Friendship Bay on the southeastern side of the island. Along the way we were able to see a community of weird houses built under a natural arch in the cliffs. – The Moonhole. The homes are built of stone, with no straight lines and odd angles.
In the evening, Nicky dropped us of at the ferry and we spend the night at the Paradise Inn, in St. Vincent. In the morning we would start our sailing course.

Sunday April 11, 2004
We woke up early in the morning and after a good breakfast we were on our way to the charter company, where we were to meet our instructor, Frank and start our week-long sailing course. The boat waiting for us was located in Blue Lagoon, a beautiful anchorage completely protected by a reef. This was where the boat, Andato, 44' Gib'sea, was waiting for us. It was going to be our home for the next week and it was quite roomy inside: galley, navigation desk and comfortable couches.

We studied the chart and started sailing. Dolphins, at our side! Our first stop: Mustique Island, a great first-day destination when starting the trip in St. Vincent. It usually takes about 3 hours, but we had really light winds and made there within 4. This island is privately owned by the Mustique Company, There are 80 or so private villas that are owned by the rich and famous (Mick Jagger, David Bowie, etc. Britannia Bay is beautiful. There are around 30 moorings set by the company in order to try and protect the reef that surrounds the beach and you have to use them. We went ashore to get something to eat at Basil’s Bar in Britannia Bay, but we found the food to be a bit too expensive for what they had to offer.

Monday April 12, 2004
We had spent our first night on the boat and we felt a bit more like cruisers. In the morning we decided to go and visit the island on the daylight. We were told that a stroll down main street Britannia Bay is always worth the time. You can rent a “Mule” and go around the steep narrow roads.
After our class we started getting the boat ready to leave. Every morning, we would look at the charts, measure the distance we were planning to go that day, see what hazards there were. Then, prepare to raise the anchor, or release the mooring line and motor our way out of the bay/ harbor. Then we would raise the sails and start sailing.
Our destination that day: Tobago Cays. It consist of a group of small uninhabited islands surrounded by a Horseshoe Reef about 2 miles in diameter. It took us about 4 hours to get there. As we got get closer, the water turned from dark blue to aquamarine, then almost teal. We found a nice place to anchor, jumped in the dinghy and we went straight to the closest beach. The sand is white and water teal! Incredible!

Tuesday April 13, 2004
As it became a ritual, in the morning, before or after class it was play time. This time: snorkeling. We took the dinghy to the lee of the corals where there are some mooring balls to tie the dinghy and we could snorkel from there.
At about noon, it wasn't easy but we had to leave the Cays. New stop: Petit Saint Vincent, with just a short peak at Mopion, a small sandy atoll set like a jewel in a beautiful coral reef.
The entire island is home to the exclusive Petit St. Vincent Resort, the invention of a man named Haze Richardson, who lives there with his wife Lynn and their seven yellow Labs. Guests are lodged in custom made cottages and instead of a telephone, there is a small bamboo flagpole with a message box in front of each cottage. When guests hoist the yellow flag, a member of the staff will come by in a mini-Moke to pick up the message - room service, lunch on the beach, whatever the guest wants. The red flag means the "do not disturb".
It took us a little over 3 hours to get there. We anchored in the shallow section, just to the southwest of the dinghy dock. They allow yacht people to come ashore at the bar and restaurant but the food is very, very expensive , so we decided to go and have dinner on the neighboring island of Petit Martinique, which is actually part of Grenada. They have there a family owned restaurant, Palm Beach, and you can call on the VHF and they pick you up and bring you back in their boat... a very convenient thing especially at nighttime and because there is a strong current along the coast. The food there is very good and well priced.

Wednesday April 14, 2004
New Destination: Union Island.
In the morning, after writing and passing the test for the ASA 101 (Basic Keelboat Sailing) we were already more confident in our skills... The wind picked up a bit more, so we finally could put the Genoa down and get the jib going. We sail for a bout 3 hours and got to Union just before 4, in time to avoid the big charters coming in. We had to dock there so it was a bit more complicated than just dropping the anchor. First, we had to enter the harbor, than motor a bit, drop the anchor and than back the boat to the dock, throw the mooring lines and secure the boat. Of course, there were other boats already dock-in and people were watching every move we mad… a bit nerve wrecking for a beginner…
We went to have a drink at the Anchorage Yacht Club. They've got a shark pool alongside the open dining area. From there you can walk along the beach straight into town.
Union Island t is a good place to shop so we restock on water, ginger-ale and beer, and check e-mail. Dinner at Lambi's - a must. It is great all you can eat type restaurant with excellent food.

Thursday April 15, 2004
Before setting sail again, we went on the island to buy a few things, like fresh fruits and vegetables at the local market. By 11 o'clock we were ready to leave towards Canuan. A bit longer trip, going against the wind, but at least the winds were good. Marius was at the helm as we had to start practicing some procedures like: man over board, tacking, heaving to, etc. On our way saw another little man-made island this time. Some guy just put some rocks and dirt next to a reef, got the paper work filled out and got himself a Caribbean island...
We got to Canuan just before sunset, and we all went to dinner ashore, at the Tamarind Yacht Club, at the bar restaurant they have on the beach where fine local cuisine was at very reasonable prices.

Friday April 16, 2004
Again a short trip on land was mandatory. It rained the whole night and we volunteer Marius to get the water out of the dinghy. Not much to see on Canuan, but a walk did us good. When we got back it already started to rain again... and Frank informed us that the engine start was dead. We called the charter company but they didn't have any starters available for us. We could have tried to get to Bequia, but the winds were so lights that we decided against it. We were to spend the day in Canuan, relaxing, snorkeling and reading.

Saturday April 17, 2004
The wake up call came from Frank at about 5:30am... after a bit of coffee we were ready to set sail, technically this time, as we had never sail out of a harbor before, we would normally motor in and out. With Frank at the helm, Marius and I pulled in the damn heavy anchor, then raised the main sail. Everything seemed calmed from inside the bay but once we were out the winds were quite strong, and we got a few showers. And it wasn't getting any better. We had estimated about 12 hours trip to St. Vincent but with that wind we would make in 6. The boat handled the waves and wind perfectly. Before entering the Blue Lagoon, a couple of people from the charter company came to help us get the boat on a mooring. They practically towed to boat with 2 dinghies while Marius brought down the sails. It was a great experience!

But, once safe and sound on land we had to write the second test for the ASA 103 - Basic Coastal Cruising. After passing, we had a cold drink and... I must admit we were ready to set sail again!!

Too bad we had to return to Toronto the next day ...